Month: November 2021

The end of this film was somewhat familiar, so it’s entirely possible I had already seen this in the last twenty years. Gene Hackman is the retiring leader of a gang of thieves, which includes the talents of Delroy Lindo and Ricky Jay, whose most recent spoils are held back by his fence Danny DeVito unless the gang does ‘one more’ heist. Another part of the deal is that Hackman is required to take De Vito’s lieutenant Sam Rockwell along on this next job. A heist film that is more concerned with having its characters constantly turning the tables on each other than the actual heist, it is worth it to watch the cast in action. Hackman gets to riff with his crew and also play mind games with both De Vito and Rockwell. It’s unfortunate that it really does become a constant swinging door of switching allegiances one-upping each other because instead of being surprising and twisty, it becomes tedious by the end.

I think this is supposed to be a parody of romantic comedies. Unfortunately a successful parody isn’t made by just laying out the tropes and staring at them. Amy Poehler is a candy store owner; Paul Rudd works for a candy conglomerate looking to put her out of business. Yes, it’s essentially the plot of You’ve Got Mail and just that is supposed to be funny, I guess. There are actually a few unexpected funny moments and other slightly chuckle worthy ones, but it takes a long time to get there. The movie is filled with comedic actors in small and larger parts, including a number of members of The States. It’s unfortunate that none of them asked if any of it was actually funny, amusing, or even entertaining in any way. It’s as if the parody was that they were even pretending to be in a comedy at all.

While not without its tragedies, this is a jazz film that doesn’t settle on the standard tropes of destruction and downward spiraling due to drugs and alcohol. Instead, we have Denzel Washington, all ego and sex, caught between two women, and pushed early toward a career as a jazz musician. There’s a clash between him and Wesley Snipes for control of their band and the affections of at least one of those women. Worse for him still is the burden of friend, manager, and iterant gambler Spike Lee. Even with those obstacles, Denzel manages to come to terms with the direction his life has led him. While not one of his most well-known films, it has an evocative neon-colored jazzy atmosphere throughout and features enough flairs to make it a recognizable Lee film.  

Orphaned Robert Mitchum is haunted by nightmares of the night his family was massacred. Taken in by a local family, he grows to fall in love with his adopted sister and develops a feud with his adopted brother, a feud that continues the one that had resulted in the death of his family. It’s an unusual mix of Western and noir that hinges on Mitchum’s steadfast but troubled performance, ably supported by Teresa Wright as his love interest.